Team SpiderTech to race in Tour de Suisse

(St. Catharines, ON – March 28, 2012) Canada‚Äôs own¬†Team SpiderTech powered by C10 made another breakthrough in professional cycling today, receiving an invitation to race the 2012 Tour de Suisse, the first-ever invite from a WorldTour race in Europe.

The Tour de Suisse is the fourth-biggest bike racein the world and its long tradition and popularity make it the largest regular annual event in Switzerland. Last year‚Äôs 75th anniversary edition of the Tour de Suisse was broadcast on television in more than 100 countries.

‚ÄúThis is fantastic news for all of us at Team SpiderTech. We made very public our vision to crack the WorldTour, and this is another step in the right direction. We will use this golden opportunity to show we can race amongst the biggest teams, in the largest races. Our results this season, three podiums early in the season capped with a few top-15¬†rankings in classic races, are a testament of the strength of our program,‚ÄĚ said Steve Bauer, Olympic medallist and directeur sportif for Team SpiderTech powered by C10.

Bauer has good memories of the Tour De Suisse. During his illustrious career he stepped on the podium four times at the Swiss national tour, winning the eighth stage and finishing second overall in the 1988 edition.

Team SpiderTech has two other links with the Tour de Suisse. Newly-signed Dane Brian Vandborg has had strong performances at the Tour de Suisse, notably 26th¬†overall in 2009 after finishing 8th in¬†the time trial stage.

Swiss rider Raymond Kunzli is thrilled to have a chance at being selected to the eight-rider Team SpiderTech squad. Kunzli signed his first professional contract with Team SpiderTech during the off-season. ‚ÄúA new chapter begins in 2012. It‚Äôs a dream come true for me to have the chance to take part in an event like the Tour de Suisse right at the start of my professional career,‚ÄĚ said K√ľnzli.

In securing the invitation to race the Tour de Suisse, Team SpiderTech powered by C10 also owes a genuine thanks for the great support of SpiderTech and its¬†magic blue kinesiology tape that keeps our riders performing on the¬†bike every day.

The 2012 Tour de Suisse will start in Lugano on June 9¬†with a 7.3-km time trial. The seventh stage, held on June 15, is a 34.3-kilometer time trial race in Gossau. The ninth and final leg will finish in S√∂renberg on June 17.

‚ÄúWe have made some significant improvements in our operations this past off-season,” said Bauer. “We picked up some great riders to the already solid team we had last year and we are riding stronger this season. We have great partners on board, such as SpiderTech Inc. as well as a consortium of partners dubbed C10, which includesBlackBerry, NRS Brakes, Pinetree Capital and Argon 18. We also brought on board key players to our management, such as Michael Carter and Curt Harnett, which will improve our field operations and business development tactics.‚ÄĚ

Team SpiderTech powered by C10 is Canada‚Äôs first and only Continental Professional Cycling Team. The team is led by Steve Bauer an Olympic and World Championship medalist. The 17-rider cycling team is composed of 11 Canadians, six international riders and is sponsored by SpiderTech Inc. and a consortium of Canadian corporations known as C10 including BlackBerry, NRS Brakes, Pinetree Capital and Argon 18. (www.cyclesportmanagement.com)

ABOUT SpiderTech

SpiderTech is the Canadian developer and world leader of pre-cut and ready to apply kinesiology taping solutions. SpiderTech is committed to excellence and innovation in the management of pain and myofascial dysfunction through the use of specialized elastic tape applications. SpiderTech‚Äôs focus is on the development and manufacturing of products and therapy protocols that meet the demands of today‚Äôs health care clinician and therapist.www.spidertech.com